Through the Frustration
by NexusTehULF0o
Summary: A certain man with wild red hair and a vivid imagination rudely interrupts Sheena in her thoughts of the unification of the worlds…Sheelos.


**Title: Through the Frustration **

**Author: NexustehULF0o**

**Description: A certain man with wild red hair and a vivid imagination rudely interrupts Sheena in her thoughts of the unification of the worlds…**

**Rating: K+ for mild language.**

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**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SHEENA FUJIBAYASHI, ZELOS WILDER, OR TALES OF SYMPHONIA.**

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**Nexus: "Eeeee! Sheelos Fic! Ask anybody; I'm totally Sheelos, man!" **

**Sheena: "Grrr…" (tackles Nexus to the ground)**

**Zelos: "Haha~~~!" (points and laughs as Nexus gets killed) **

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Sheena Fujibayashi sat in a small, wooden chair in the lobby of Flanoir's large hotel, contemplating her thoughts of what she would do when this epic roller-coaster ride she was on finally came to an end.

The worlds would finally be together, and the people of Sylvarant would teach the people of Tethe'alla not to discriminate against half-elves, as well as Tethe'allans teaching the people of Sylvarant to use and develop new magitechnology. Summoning Arts, too; that would come back again. Her village would see to that.

Or the worlds would split apart, and she would never see the people of Mizuho again. No more Kuchinawa or Orochi… and the Chief, her grandfather. They would all be in Tethe'alla, where she would never return.

But the worlds _could_ separate while she was in Tethe'alla, and she could weave tales to the people of Mizuho of the fabled Sylvarant, a world far away from here.

But would they let her stay, after all that she'd put them through?

Sheena stood up from her seat indignantly, aggravated with all of this senseless thinking. Pushing open the hotel's front door, Sheena folded her arms and stepped out into the night.

Patches of visible stars twinkled brightly in the dark navy blue sky…they were like little tiny diamonds, she thought, that seemed to wash all your problems away. The sky itself was a thing of beauty; it was the prettiest shade of blue she'd seen it. The gray clouds loomed around the fragments of night sky, waiting for the right moment to infiltrate and envelop them as they had the rest of it.

Taking in a deep breath, Sheena huddled her arms close to her; she was freezing. Snowflakes fell around the ninja, causing her to shiver and notice she was outside in her normal attire that was very light for agile movement, and therefore inappropriate for cold weather. She shook her head and watched the snowflakes fall from her hair. Sheena smiled slightly, shrugging off her thoughts from earlier in the night.

"Awfully cold, huh?"

Sheena's peaceful moment was rudely interrupted by the sarcastic voice of Zelos Wilder, Tethe'alla's philandering Chosen of Regeneration. Her eyebrows narrowed as she prepared her mental guard in case he was _anything_ like himself tonight.

"Yeah." She agreed quietly.

Zelos grunted in reply. Fiddling with the sword at his hip, Zelos adjusted both thumbs under his belt and sighed heavily.

"Are _you_ cold?" he inquired, looking skyward.

_Of course_ she was cold. Zelos of all people should have noticed the clothes she was wearing.

"Freezing, actually." She replied, turning her head his way. In the slight breeze, Zelos' wavy, peach-colored locks of hair blew delicately, revealing his seldom-showing ears. His blue eyes stared away as he absent-mindedly undid the straps on his sleeveless pink vest, taking it off and shoving it her way.

"I feel fine," the words rolled off his tongue like this was something he did on a regular basis. "It probably won't help you much, anyway." Flashing a boyish smirk at the ninja, Zelos shrugged and moved his hair out of his face. The nineteen-year-old inhaled a deep breath and tentatively took it from him. Sliding her arms through it, the summoner's mind proceeded in some innocent wandering...

There must be a problem. Something's bothering him. He must be worried or something. Or he's going to leave... She thought, shaking her head at the thought of Zelos doing some thing selfless without expecting something in return.

She eyed the Chosen carefully as he watched her put it on, the swordsman smirking and turning away from her once more while placing his hand under his chin.

"Ya know, my vest makes the curves of your body twice as voluptuous," he announced proudly, only to have the jacket-like shirt thrown back at him.

"I'd rather freeze to death," she mumbled, revolving on her heel and stepping away.

"Turning your back just gives me a better view of your butt, Sheena." He called from behind her while tilting his head, making Sheena's face flush a darker red than what it had been from the Chosen's last comment.

"Shut up, Zelos!" she exclaimed angrily, her hands closing into fists. The last thing she needed was Zelos further frustrating her.

Latching two of the three straps on his vest-like over shirt together, Zelos looked after the young woman as she made her way to one of the balcony rails that looked over the city, which was nonchalant due to the late hour and the frozen temperatures. Innocently enough, he followed after her wordlessly, curious to her problem. She usually wasn't that quick to walk away…and hit him or abused him in some other fashion before she gave up.

Sheena unfolded her arms and placed them on the balcony handrail, quickly adverting her eyes to her follower. They sat in silence for a moment, Sheena wondering if she should confide in Zelos about her current predicament. But of course, Zelos would probably just make fun of her…

"You know…all this snow… it reminds me of my mom." He mumbled, scowling and positioning a depressed expression upon his normally cheerful features. He glanced to her briefly before staring away again and watching the large clock tower's second hand tick around the circular dais.

"…What, dare I ask…happened to your mom?" She muttered, unwilling to hear his voice but still a bit curious to the story. She figured that he was trying really hard to get at something…or trying to actually have a conversation that wasn't about her butt or pretty girls in Tethe'alla and how they all belonged to him.

"Well…My mother and father were caught in an arranged marriage. So, when they had me, they were both in love with somebody else, and neither of them really cared for me much. Sebastian, the butler, was my caretaker most of the time. My father was in a relationship with another woman while married to my mother…and so Seles, my half-sister, was born. Her mom was a half-elf. " He paused for a moment to reflect on what he was saying. "Well…one day, it was snowing in Meltokio. It was great…! I had never seen snow before in my entire life. My mother and I were making a snowman, but suddenly…a barrage of magic hit her. The snowman ran red." Sheena glanced over to the man, noticing the pain in his eyes for a split second. She'd never seen it before…it was a tender look…obviously painful for him to say. But then it was gone; and he had begun speaking again. "She fell, grabbed my shoulder…and she muttered…with her dying breath…_You should have never been born. _I never forgot that."

This made Sheena feel sorry for Zelos. Neither of his parents paid attention to him…his mom told him he shouldn't have been born…that was terrible. He must have had a horrible childhood. Maybe this was why he was so…_shallow and lewd _… Maybe he was afraid no one would like him for who he really was…and he was too scared to suffer more emotional trauma…Not to mention he lived in Meltokio, where the snobs only like your money or your title.

The trouble with it was, this story that was agonizingly painful for the swordsman to tell, vaguely reminded her that she herself had no _real _parents…

"Heh…But enough about me; what's your deal?" His voice, cheerful again, came out of nowhere and stopped her from thinking this subject through any further. She realized from the corner of her eye that he was studying her face quietly, waiting for her answer. "You aren't yourself…and you didn't hit me for what I said about you earlier. I was kinda worried about the second one the most, to tell you the truth. " He lightly brushed his thumb across his nose.

"Oh, do you _want_ me to hit you? Because I'll gladly do it." She retorted, her glare hardening again as she turned her head opposite from him and remembered her anger.

Oh, of course, when Sheena began to wish from the bottom of her heart that Zelos might have changed his ways, he had to ruin the moment with something like this. When she thought she had him all figured out…he takes her little suspicions and crushes them into microscopic pieces.

"No, it's not that. You're acting weird." He replied, holding up his hands in front of him as if they would defend him.

"Gee, thanks." She mumbled.

"Not a bad weird, just a different weird." He went on, trying to redeem himself. "Hey…is this about Corrine again? I knew those guys would just make it worse…" He smirked. "Sheena, if you're still this upset about Corrine, you're never going to move on. And what about your Chief? What are you going to do about Mizuho when the worlds come together…err…split apart?"

The summoner easily recognized this as an attempt to change the subject.

"Ugh, Zelos! I'm just frustrated!" The rest of her body turned, walking towards a descending flight of stairs in order to escape his confusing, annoying ways. Cocking an eyebrow, the Chosen put on a crooked smile and continued after her.

"_What _do you _want_?" Sheena exclaimed angrily, stepping away from him and towards the railing.

"I don't _want_ anything." He replied, folding his own arms across his chest.

"Then go away." She shooed him, but he still pursued her. Leaning on the same balcony rail, Sheena became silent, figuring that he would leave if she didn't have anything important to say. But knowing Zelos, he probably would…

"…Man, how come the only one who doesn't look good in snow is me?" He mumbled to himself, the opinion reaching Sheena's ears. She wanted to protest, but it took the summoner a moment to realize what the swordsman really meant.

_Is it the snow or that memory? Neither of them make you look good in your eyes. _She smirked and sighed like she had given up, crossing her arms over her chest and walking forward, towards the red-haired man without really knowing what she was doing. His eyes reflected a faraway look, as if he were reminiscing something unpleasant. Once again, the boyish grin plastered itself across his face and he turned to poke her shoulder.

"Cold, Sheenaaaaa~?" He asked, a suspicious glare twinkling in his cerulean eyes. This made Sheena irritated, shying away from the twenty-two-year-old and frowning.

"Yes, I'm cold." She told him, wrapping her arms tighter around her.

"I can tell." He proclaimed arrogantly, placing his hands on his hips. Sheena flared, narrowing her eyes and raising her hand as if she were going to backhand him right there. He put up his hands in reflex, as if to block her.

"Don't get mad, Sheena." He retaliated, smirking and leaning back a bit. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" She asked, re-folding her arms once more after cocking an eyebrow elegantly over her left eye. Her back arched as she took in a deep breath, obviously holding back her rage that liked to show itself when the Tethe'allan Chosen was around. "Of course it's not that big of a deal. For you. _You_ get whatever you want. _You're _the Chosen of Mana. Everyone in Meltokio wants to be _your_ friend. What you don't realize is that you're just as stuck up as they are!"

Zelos, drawing away from the railing, watched her from the corner of his eye. He knew that she was drawing him into another one of these "chases" that occurred whenever they argued.

Oh, how he loved them.

"Ooh, Sheena, harsh." He mumbled under his breath, lifting his head a little. He could see that Sheena recognized it didn't faze him, therefore becoming more aggravated.

"Oh, and if you though stuck up was bad, wait until you realize how much of a pervert you are! You have no consideration for women at all!"

Zelos turned to face the back of her. "Even more violent and demonic today, aren't we, my voluptuous banshee?" He raised his eyebrow to await her reaction. Sheena's hands tightened into fists against her folded arms. She could feel the blood rushing to her face in fury and mild embarrassment.

"Presea, I know Sheena's real name."

"_What? How could you know?" _

"_Sheena's real name is 'Violent Demonic Banshee.' "_

"Shut UP, Zelos." She cried, glaring daggers behind her shoulder after remembering the little "nickname" Zelos' had given her.

"And so the chase begins…!" Zelos muttered under his breath so that she couldn't hear. The ninja shifted away from him, eluding his stare.

"You know, Sheena, I don't think you're like any of the women I've ever met." Zelos began, following after her. "Not at all. You're too stubborn, and…you hit me…there's that too."

"Well, if you didn't say such stupid things, then maybe I wouldn't have a reason to hit you." She retorted.

"Yes, far too stubborn." He ignored her, continuing his harangue. "But God damn, your body just keeps pulling me in for more!"

"Shut up!"

"I mean, look at you! You're a man's dream! _Tell_ me I'm not the only one who wants to tap that~~~!" He gestured towards her, making her flush scarlet.

"Dammit, Zelos!" Sheena's knuckles turned white from holding back a punch to his face after she'd stormed over to him as if to deliver it.

"Aw, come on, baby, don't _try_ and seduce me. I might do something crazy." Zelos' eyes narrowed, grinning from ear-to-ear. Sheena grit her teeth, rolling her eyes and trying to bear the pain. His insults were sometimes too much for her; it wouldn't be long until she exploded with fury.

"And as a bit of fleeting advice for my pleasure, I think you should let down your hair a bit more often. You look all the hotter when you do, Sheena."

"How do you know?" She asked, jerking her face away from him. She was too angry to realize he was changing the subject this time.

"I know all women, inside _and_ out...`cept you, my dear. I only know you outside." He chuckled, taking a bow after staring the ninja up and down. " I suppose it's just my intuitive power of observation."

"I'm not your 'dear,' Zelos." She crinkled her nose at the thought before sticking it up. Hell would freeze over before that happened.

"Not as of yet, my banshee, not as of yet." He once again brushed his thumb across his nose. "You must be getting pre-tty cold by now, huh Sheeeena~?"

He was right. She could feel the cold creeping up on her now, more so because she was blushing so much. But she couldn't possibly fuel his ego any more; anything she said seemed to be twisted into something that would make his head swell to twice its size.

"Go away, Zelos." She demanded.

"What?" He held out his hands on either side of him like he hadn't done anything wrong.

"What?" Sheena swirled to face him, trying to intimidate him. "You know damn well what! You always do this! Why me, Zelos? There are all kinds of girls in the world, as I'm sure you know…why do _I _have to be the one who always has the funny little "pranks" pulled on? Is it me? Because if it is, then I will gladly get out of your way! I don't have to take this any more! I'm tired of it!" She stormed closer to the man, poking her finger into his chest. "Every little thing you do annoys the _hell _out of me!"

"But Sheena, I've never –"

"Don't try and deny it!"

"Do you really think I'd _joke _about anything I say about you? Look at yourself! I don't just lie about how beautiful you are!"

"Oh, like I should believe this little…thing you've got going to get yourself out of trouble! I bet you'd say the same thing to one of your "hunnies" back in Meltokio, hm?"

"No, really! I'm really not lying, Sheena, I –"

"I mean, you barely make an honest person out of yourself now! Why should _I _think that you aren't just trying to get yourself out of the biggest beating of your life? "

He pulled her close suddenly, silencing her with his warm lips against her cold ones. Eyes widening to twice their size, Sheena's anger drained, immediately replaced by passion. He pressed his hand into the small of her back as she threw her arms around his neck; he realized that she was colder than he thought. He pulled her close so she rested up against him, feeling her heart beat wildly and knowing full well that she was enjoying it.

Sheena noticed this when she felt him grin under her lips. She instantly denied herself the only possible reason why she was following through with this, and decided to reassure Zelos, and partially herself, that he would not get his way.

"Zelos…" she mumbled around his mouth, the words muffled accordingly. "This means nothing. You mean nothing to me."

He nodded solemnly in reply, pulling out the pink ribbon in her hair so it would drop to her shoulders. He ran the fingers of his one hand through it, caressing her sweetly as he lifted her so she sat on top of the balcony rail.

There was something about the way that Zelos had gone about kissing Sheena, though – almost in an urgent and anxious way. She only noticed for a second before letting it disappear along with the rest of her worries that seemed to be fading as well. A sudden warm feeling flowed through her bloodstream…she could feel heat rushing to her face as she began to think about what she was doing…she felt…almost _happy _in the arms of one she was so annoyed with…no, no! Of course this meant nothing…she wasn't in love with Zelos! He was a pervert and treated women like his pets…most likely, if she gave in to him, she would be easily cast aside like the rest of his playthings...although she had realized earlier that it probably wasn't entirely his fault. If he was so bad for her, why did she continue to kiss him? She was so confused…there couldn't be any other reason to why she did… and that was that she was in love with the swordsman…and there was nothing proving that Zelos wouldn't tell the first person that he came across…

_Oh God…everyone will know…Lloyd…Raine…Colette, and the others… They'll all know about this…_

Zelos pulled away from her at that moment, moving his hand at her back down to her waist as he noticed the blush staining her cheeks.

"Could 'I love you,' be a reason?" He whispered, forcing Sheena's eyes to widen and her mouth to run dry of words she could get herself out of this with. He chuckled softly while looking away, as if mildly surprised at what had just come out of his mouth.

"I know I know…"The Great Zelos Wilder's" philandering days have finally come to an end. Unbelievable, right? But I just can't take any more of this, Sheena. The way you push me away…you were just dragging me in closer and closer the whole time... I love you, my violent demonic banshee; there's no other way I can describe this...this _thing_ I have for you." His hand moved gently down her hair to her face that was watching him intently. At a loss for words suddenly, the red-haired man began stammering incoherently, looking for the right words to say as if searching blindly for a lost pair of glasses.

"I don't know any other way to explain it…it's like…when I'm around you, I…I get…When Lloyd comes around…and he's, you know, being Lloyd…I get so angry…and I can't help myself…I love you. Everything about you, Sheena."

Sheena, still rather stunned, opened her mouth to speak.

"Z-Zelos…I…I…"

The Chosen of Mana pulled away from her, releasing his grasp on her to back up a couple of steps; he was still in her reach, but she figured now would be a bad time to long for his touch. He twisted his head to the left, making her confused and at a loss for words once more. She turned the way he had been facing, only to see Genis Sage, a twelve-year-old genius, come around the corner, opening the door with a small smile occupying his face.

"Yo, Sheena, you're wearing so little clothes outside in the snow, why don't you just take them _all_ off?" Zelos called so that Genis would hear while slapping on his trademark perverted grin. She caught on almost immediately, flashing the man a small, brief smile herself.

"Why don't you just fall in a ditch, Zelos?" Sheena exclaimed in faux anger, making Zelos squint and place his hands in front of him.

Genis turned from opening the door, his grin growing wider.

"You guys are always fighting, aren't you?" The boy exclaimed shrewdly, placing his other hand at his hip.

Zelos shrugged, glancing to Sheena before folding his arms. "Well, maybe it wouldn't be just her body that attracted me if she wasn't so stubborn."

Sheena shook her head, passing a deep breath out her nose.

"I'll show you stubborn!" She slapped his shoulder, causing the Chosen to flinch. Genis laughed and shook his head like he would never understand them. When the young mage returned inside, Sheena stole a quick glance to Zelos, who was grinning at her.

"I…" She began.

"Hey, hey…I think you should go get some sleep. You're really cold, and I think you might still be recovering from what happened between us. The brat came in at the perfect time…any more and I think you might have fainted in my arms." Zelos pointed towards the door where Genis had just gone in before chuckling. "Don't worry, Sheena; I won't tell if you won't tell."

"But what about you?" She replied without hesitation, delicately stepping over the thought of her fainting in Zelos' arms.

"My room's `round the back. I'll just go around." He pointed behind him, to where a trail took one behind the snowy hotel. "Why, do you want me to come with you and run the risk of what just happened being discovered sooner?"

"All right, all right, I get it... I should go see how Lloyd's doing, anyway." Sheena mused. Zelos groaned at the name, knowing how much of an interest Sheena had in the dual swordsman, and how much he and Zelos got into fights.

"Lloyd…" he grumbled the name as if it were a curse, once more shoving his thumbs under his belt.

"What?" She cocked her head while speaking. "He's important to the joining of the worlds." She heard the Chosen scoff gruffly before she sat up straight and jumped off the balcony rail to walk towards the door.

"Sheena, wait." Zelos caught her shoulder before she was totally out of his grasp, turning her around and delicately grabbing her chin before engaging in another soft, less crucial kiss. This one lasted briefly, but was just as seductive as the last. He smiled crookedly, handing her the pink ribbon that was in her hair before nudging her face and whispering "Bye."

He left the summoner before she had a chance to respond, trying to still the frantic beating of her heart. Her eyes widened, taking in what had just happened…what they had started. All of her premonitions flooded back into her mind, and suddenly, the summoner became frightened because she wasn't worried about any of them at all. Grasping the pink ribbon he had handed her, she felt uncomfortable for a moment, but then smiled, walking off the balcony and inside the hotel lobby once more.

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The curtains to the penthouse room fell shut as Sylvarant's sixteen-year-old Chosen, Colette Brunel, and the knowledgeable healer, Raine Sage, looked inquisitively at each other. Colette grimaced, placing her hands to her mouth.

"Eww!" she exclaimed.

Raine sighed, shrugging and looking away sadly. Somehow, there was always the doubting feeling that she would never find herself something like that, despite her efforts…

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Nexus: "Super R & R man has come!!!" (Points to the sky) **

**R & R man: (noble music begins) "R & R please!!!!" (Dun-Dun-dundunnnnnn! R & R MAAAAAAN!!!)**


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